


In the Blood

by CartoonAddict564



Category: Monster High
Genre: F/F, Yuletide, Yuletide 2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-25
Updated: 2016-10-25
Packaged: 2018-08-24 15:09:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8376817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CartoonAddict564/pseuds/CartoonAddict564
Summary: When Frankie learns that Draculaura is distressed, she wants to help her BFFF, but her ghoulfriend Clawdeen cautions that Frankie might not be the right ghoul for this one. Draculaura, Clawdeen explains, is upset because the urge to hunt--to chase down some human, kill them, and drink their blood--is once again overpowering her like it does to all vampires on occasion; as Frankie is not a vampire or werewolf and has thus never experienced any kind of hunting instinct, Clawdeen insists she can't possibly know what it's like well enough to help. But Frankie will not be deterred, and through a little mad science she devises a way for her to feel that instinct--just in time to go hunting with Clawdeen and the other Wolfs during the next full moon. It will be a wild and ferocious adventure, unlike anything Frankie has ever experienced before, but she does it anyway in the hopes it will teach her how she can comfort Draculaura... and show her that, no matter how monstrous certain aspects of her nature may be, she and her other friends will always be there for her.





	1. Camping Out

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ryuutchi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ryuutchi/gifts).



> So, this is my first Yuletide story. :-)
> 
> I was inspired to write this through the Yuletide letter which mentioned the idea of a darker take on Monster High, particularly focusing on how some of the characters have to, you know, eat people. And then I got to thinking about how Frankie, being somewhat newer to monster life than the rest of them, might not be aware of that. And wouldn't it be interesting to see how (or if) Frankie were able to learn about and acclimate to the more *monstrous* parts of her friends' natures?
> 
> I hope so, anyways. Have fun reading!

The moon shone in the sky like a brilliant jewel as Frankie Stein stepped out of the car into the clear, cool night. A fresh breeze blew through the grasp, ruffling Frankie's hair and twisting her limbs just the tiniest amount as the air caught on loose threads of her stitching. Franke giggled as she got her limbs back in order and hurried on, letting damp grass tickle her feet and hearing a happy owl cooing from somewhere in the sky. "Abby? Draculaura? Clawdeen?" she called as she rushed through the large field to reach the ten or so tents that comprised the makeshift campsite, as well as the score of students gathered around the campfires and tents. "Ready to get this slumber party started?"

 

"Hey!" One of the figures closest to Frankie turned and raised a long, elegant arm. Even in the dim lighting, Frankie could identify the figure of her ghoulfriend, and her heart sparked slightly as a big smile lit her face. She sped up and rushed over just in time for Clawdeen to open her arms and wrap Frankie up in a gigantic hug. "Where you been, girl? Thought you weren't gonna make it!"

 

"Sorry. Had to take care of a few repairs." Frankie held up her right hand and turned the stitching, must fresher than all her other stitches, towards Clawdeen. "I was stuck with Heath Burns in science today, and, well, let's just say that he took the 'don't mix these chemicals together' warnings as a personal challenge." She winced as the memory of the explosion, which as usual had resulted in Burns running around with his shirt on fire as the teacher vainly tried to restore order. "I got off easy, though. Burns had most of his clothes burned off."

 

Clawdeen winced. "Ouch. You okay?" When Frankie nodded, Clawdeen chuckled, smiled, and stepped a little closer. "You sure? Maybe I need to kiss it better?"

 

Frankie couldn't help but grin at that. "I'm pretty sure my hand doesn't work like that, but... I guess it couldn't hurt to try?" She lifted her hand. "It _was_ a pretty big blast, and--"

 

A short, sudden sob cut through the air, and both Frankie and Clawdeen jumped. Frankie turned to look behind her, but the field was empty and none of the students clustered around the campfires seemed sad or distressed. "What was that?" she asked, looking around again. "Is everyone okay?" Clawdeen opened her mouth, then hesitated, so Frankie pushed on. "Come on, Clawdeen. This is a big deal--we've never had so many people go camping like this before! If someone's upset we have to try to help them."

 

"I know, but..." Clawdeen was silent for a moment longer. "It's Draculaura. She's in there." She gestured to a large, pinkish tent behind her that had turrets and crenelations like an old European castle; when Frankie listened she could hear another soft sob slipping out from under the flap. "But I already tried talking to her. She wasn't interested."

 

"Well, maybe she'll listen to me." Frankie smiled winningly. "I can be pretty friendly, you know."

 

"Oh, I know." A smile flickered over Clawdeen's face before vanishing away. "But she's upset about... well, hunting. And you don't hunt. So, no offense, but you might not really _get_ it, you know?"

 

Frankie frowned. "Hunting? Like... like how some humans hunt deer?"

 

"No, girl." Clawdeen sighed. "Hunting humans." 

 

Frankie opened her mouth to say something. Then she shut it. She thought for a very long moment. "What?" she said at last.

 

"Hunting humans. For blood. She's a vampire, remember? She has to drink blood. And yeah, she's a 'vegetarian,' but that just means she doesn't go around drinking more than she needs to. Doesn't mean she skips it entirely."

 

"But..." Frankie shook her head. "I don't understand. I thought vegetarian vampires didn't need human blood at all?"

 

Clawdeen tilted her head. "Lemme put it like this. You could live just off electricity, right? You don't _need_ food?"

 

"Well, maybe, but it wouldn't..." Frankie hesitated. During a recent adventure to Abby's home, several of the students had been stranded high in the mountains. Ghoulia had worked out a way to generate electricity by burning some of the pine trees to melt and boil snow and spin a makeshift turbine with the steam, so Frankie had volunteered to skip meals in order that the others could share their limited rations while she got all the energy she needed from the electricity. And it had worked, they'd all survived until they'd found rescue, but by the end of the fourth day she'd been going out of her mind. Not with starvation; the electricity was all she _really_ needed, but still... she'd wanted _something_ real to eat. Preferably a big steak, or a baked potato, or a gigantic salad, but she'd have taken a stale granola bar.

 

"I could," said Frankie at last. "But... maybe not for very long." She smiled weakly. "So you're saying Draculaura's the same way with human blood? She doesn't _need_ it, but if she goes without for too long she _craves_ it?"

 

"Pretty much, yeah." Clawdeen shrugged. "She can technically live off just cow blood or whatever, but after a few weeks of that she gets a little stir crazy. Hunting's in her blood--she's a vampire. She's got to do it every month or two, and her next hunt's three days from now on Friday--I know 'cause she asked me to look after Count Fabulous while she's out." 

 

Frankie remained silent for another moment as she digested that. "When you say she's 'got' to do it--"

 

"--I mean if she doesn't, she'll feel like she's everything's all faded and muted, except for blood," said Clawdeen. "When the sun's up, she'll feel like time's going _real_ slow, and when it finally drops she'll feel like it's racing by and if she doesn't get out there _now_ she might miss her chance and have to wait another day. She'll feel like she's about ready to pop out of her skin until she can sink her fangs into someone." She shrugged. "She'll feel like nothing else in the whole world matters, basically."

 

"Right." Frankie hesitated. "Do you feel that way too? On the full moon, I mean?"

 

"Oh yeah. There's a reason I'm pretty much climbing the walls every full moon, girl." Clawdeen grinned. "When I beat Heath in that race that time, that wasn't just the moon charging me up. That was me wanting to get the race done with so I could get home and get out there with my family. Howleen once locked Clawd in his room during the full moon as a prank and he broke the door down to get outside." She looked at Draculaura's tent and then sighed. "But thing is, werewolves can just hunt deer if we want. Draculaura told me--since I'm the only other hunter she knows--that the only thing that takes the pressure off for _her_ is human blood. That's why she's upset."

 

Frankie shook her head and began to walk towards Draculaura's tent. "Well, she shouldn't be. If it's in her blood, she shouldn't feel ashamed just for being who she is. And I'm sure she finds a way to do it, er, ethically!" She wasn't sure how, exactly, humans could be hunted ethically, but she knew Draculaura had a good heart and would have figured something out. They were besties, after all. "I'm surprised she's still troubled, though. She's been doing this for sixteen hundred years old, right? Shouldn't she be used to it by now?" Clawdeen shrugged. "And if she _is_ hurting anyways, I wish she'd told me. I could have tried to help."

 

"You're not a hunter, girl," said Clawdeen, following Frankie. "It's not in your blood. You don't understand. I mean, you might think you do, but unless you've actually had that feeling like you'll explode if you don't get out there and rip something apart, you can't get it."

 

"Maybe not, but she's my BFFF. I have to try to cheer her up." Frankie took a long breath and then turned to Clawdeen. "Wish me luck?"

 

"Oh, you know it." And before Frankie could stop her, the werewolf planted a kiss on her nose. Frankie blushed, sparking wildly, and Clawdeen's eyes widened slightly as a shock hit her in her own nose, but she was used to it by now and just grinned a little dopily. "Alright. Do your thing."

 

Frankie nodded, then turned on her heel and strode into Draculaura's tent. "Hey, Draculaura?" she called, looking at the large array of pink cushions and pillows scattered around. "Are you there?"

 

There was a soft rustling noise, and then Draculaura rose up from beneath a pile of pillows. The vampire was dressed as fashionably as ever, in an elegant dress that somehow perfectly fit the rustic surroundings, but her face was red and blotchy and her gaze flicked away from Frankie's before it landed. "Hey Frankie," she murmured. "How are you?"

 

"I'm fine. What about you?" When Draculaura didn't answer, Frankie stepped closer. "Come on, DL. Clawdeen already told me what was wrong. And I wanted to say..."

 

She trailed off. What _did_ she want to say? That she understood what Draculaura was going through? But Clawdeen was right, Frankie _didn't_ really understand. She'd never been in that situation, sitting in class or lying up at night and feeling like she'd explode if she didn't go out that night and hunt someone down. She couldn't even conceive of what that would feel like, to know that she was going to go out and hurt someone, yet be completely unable to stop herself. And what did it feel like when Draculaura actually did it and brought someone down? Relief at having quelled her urge to hunt, triumph at having beaten her opponent, shame at having hurt someone? Maybe even some combination--Frankie couldn't say.

 

"...that I'm your friend and support you," said Frankie, wincing at how lame she sounded. "Uh. Sorry that wasn't--"

 

"No, it's okay. I understand." Draculaura managed a weak smile. "And I know I am being a 'party-pooper,' as Clawdeen would say. I will come out to the campfire--"

 

"Are you more comfortable in here?" asked Frankie quickly. When Draculaura nodded slightly, Frankie continued. "Then you stay in here. I'll leave for a few minutes so you can pull yourself together--" Her own hand tried to twist away slightly at that, and Draculaura giggled at the sight even as she wiped at her eyes with a tissue--"And come back with some friends to keep you company. Sound good?"

 

Draculaura did brighten a little and Frankie smiled back at her, but as soon as she got outside, the spring left her step and she looked over at her ghoulfriend. "...okay," she said weakly. "Maybe you're right."

 

"Usually am." Clawdeen moved behind her and gently began to rub her back, eliciting a groan of contentment from Frankie. "No offense, but like I said, it's something you can't understand if you haven't experienced it."

 

"Then I wish I could experience it," said Frankie as Clawdeen continued to massage her back. "Draculaura's an awesome friend. We need to make her happy again. I need to find some way to..." She trailed off as Clawdeen brushed her hands over her back in just such a way that sent a bright burst of sparks from all her joints, and her voice dissolved into a confused burble. "I mean, uh..."

 

"You were saying?" murmured Clawdeen in a teasing voice.

 

Frankie smiled, but gently pulled away from Clawdeen's touch. "I have to go hunting," she said. "So I can learn what it's like. The full moon's in two days, right? Could I go with your family?"

 

"Sure, but it wouldn't matter." Clawdeen frowned at Frankie. "You can go running and jumping with us all you want, but unless the moon's driving you on like us, you won't _feel_ it, you dig?"

 

"Then I'll have to feel it. Maybe some kind of body-swap thing, or a potion... I'm sure Ghoulia can come up with something." Frankie began to pace. "Some way to make me feel like I'm a werewolf and _really_ want to go hunting. Then maybe I'll be able to talk to Draculaura." She looked at Clawdeen. "What do you think?"

 

Clawdeen raised an eyebrow. "What do I think of your plan to drink some kinda werewolf juice and then go hunting on the full moon? Juice that--if it somehow works--would make you pretty much go out of your mind with nervous energy until the actual hunt, at which point you'd lose all control of yourself and run around with me until we found some deer to rip apart?"

 

"Uh... yes?" Frankie managed a weak smile. "Basically?"

 

Clawdeen was still for a moment, but then a grin burst out over her face. "I think if you can find the 'werewolf juice' or whatever, you can go running with us anytime. If Howleen complains I'll personally shove her into the poison ivy." She chuckled. "And I also think it's awesome you'd go that far to help DL. Seriously, Frankie, you've got to be the kindest ghoul in school."

 

"I try." A mischievous smile lit up Frankie's face as she slipped behind Clawdeen and placed her hands on her back to begin a massage of her own. A tiny little spark of electricity arcing over _just_ the right spots made Clawdeen sigh happily and almost slump back before Frankie caught her. "I like making people happy. _Especially_ my ghoulfriend, but my other friends too."

 

"Don't I know it," sighed Clawdeen in blissful contentment as Frankie continued to work over her back, using targeted zaps of electricity at the knottiest muscles and relaxing her far more thoroughly than any mundane masseuse could have managed.

 

" We should get a few other ghouls and be with Draculaura now," murmured Frankie after a few more minutes of massaging. "But maybe tomorrow I could stop over before the hunt? Just to hang out?"

 

Clawdeen looked at her and grinned, which Frankie knew beyond doubt was a big _yes_. And despite her current failure with Draculaura, her spirits were slightly buoyed as the two went to collect a few ghouls to keep Draculaura company.

 


	2. Dining Out

"So that's it?"

 

Clawdeen wrinkled her nose at the grayish liquid that was bubbling over the Bunsen burner in the science lab, but Frankie was in too good a mood to let that hurt her spirits. "Yes!" she said as Ghoulia added a few more drops of some black liquid to the beaker. "I talked to Ghoulia yesterday after we got back from the campout and she totally came through! According to her, this will make me feel the full moon just like a werewolf does for twenty-four hours!" She pumped a fist. "This is perfect! Ghoulia, how's it going?"

 

The ghoul took a pipette of liquid from the flask and dropped it into a disk filled with some greenish gel. The gel immediately sizzled before growing a thick tuft of hair, and Clawdeen blinked. "Please tell me it's not supposed to do that, because that is _way_ messed up."

 

"No, I think it is." Frankie drummed her hands on the table. "Well, Ghoulia? Is it ready?" When the ghoul nodded and passed her the beaker, she grinned. "Alright. Here I go!"

 

"Hold up," said Clawdeen. "Full moon's tonight, Frankie. You sure you ready?"

 

"For Draculaura, I'm always ready." Frankie nodded, then tipped her head back and drained the beaker in a single gulp. After a moment, she burped, and then covered her mouth as the other girls chuckled. "Sorry. It's got kind of a strong taste."

 

"Like what?" asked Clawdeen, picking up the flask and sniffing it. "What exactly does werewolf juice taste like?"

 

Ghoulia moaned something. 

 

"No. No, we are not calling it lycanthrope serum. That's too sciencey. It's werewolf juice, and that's what we're calling it," Clawdeen said. "Well, Frankie?"

 

"It tastes like... kind of like steak. But also hair. A lot of hair." Frankie tilted her head to one side. "Hairy steak, basically--but it's actually pretty good. I guess it's another of my favorites."

 

"Oh, you think everything's your favorite," joked Clawdeen, making Frankie smile in return. "So how do you feel?"

 

"Pretty normal." Frankie hesitantly moved a couple steps forwards, then turned and walked over to the window. "I'm not sweaty or nervous or anything. Everything feels the same." She paced back, as if struggling to find any point of difference. "Maybe it didn't work."

 

Ghoulia grunted something and crossed her arms. Frankie immediately hurried over to her, hands held up in a placating gesture. "Hey, I didn't say it _definitely_ didn't work, and either way it's not your fault." She turned on her heel and went back to the window. "Maybe it just takes time to kick in! Or maybe it doesn't work on monsters like me; maybe it only works on living people. We could get Jackson in here, I'm--"

 

"Hey, Frankie," Clawdeen called. "Could you stand still for a second?"

 

"Huh? Oh, sorry." Frankie stopped, but almost immediately brightened and began moving again. "Wait. Maybe I just need to take more--"

 

Clawdeen chuckled, then strode across the room and grabbed her ghoulfriend by the shoulders. "Let's try something," she said. "Stand still for... oh, thirty seconds. Ghoulia, time us, okay?"

 

Frankie looked confused at first, but as Clawdeeen held in place, her body began to shift back and forth like it _really_ wanted to break free. She felt a strange sort of energy building up within her, and as Ghoulia tapped off the seconds on a desk, she started trembling slightly. It was like that one time she'd plugged herself directly into a power line; she was overcharged, amped, ready to go. She _had_ to do something, even just walk a few laps around the room, because just standing still was making her feel like...

 

Like she was going to explode.

 

Clawdeen finally released her and Frankie literally jumped in the air. "Woah!" she said as energy sang through her, and while she did begin pacing again, it was all she could do to not burst into a full run. "Guess you're right about feeling antsy before the hunt!"

 

"Usually am," said Clawdeen in a bemused tone. "Now c'mon. Homeroom in five."

 

Frankie froze. "You mean... I'll have to sit down?" Her pace sped up, like she was trying to burn off all the energy before she had to stop.

 

"Yeah. And sit still. All day. Until the sun goes down." Clawdeen giggled, and Ghoulia managed a scratchy laugh as well. "Ghoul, you're part of the hunter's club, now. This is how it goes. But don't worry. It's worth it."

 

"What is?" asked Frankie, rushing to Clawdeen's side and the wriggling about as the werewolf gently led her ghoulfriend out.

 

"The hunt. Trust me, that makes all this nonsense _totally_ worth it."

 

#

 

Frankie believed Clawdeen about the hunt being worth it for about ten minutes. Then, as her body again trembled with the urge to get up, rush outside, and run through the forest until she collapsed from exhaustion, she stopped thinking about much else besides how much longer it would be until the moon rose and she could _hunt_.

 

"About ten hours, Frankie," Clawdeen drawled the third time Frankie asked her during their first class. "Now chill. I'm pretty sure this is gonna be on the test."

 

Frankie tried to chill, but she'd never felt so _alive_ before. It was like her blood was singing at her that she had to move, even if for no other reason than just exulting in the sheer joy of motion. Her fingers drummed out rapid beats on the desk, her feet tapped the ground, and still she couldn't quench the urge to get outside and moving for real. When, she wondered again as she looked at the clock, was nightfall?

 

Nine hours and fifty-nine minutes, she saw, and her heart sank.

 

Each period was more agonizing than the last. Even lunch, which she would have guessed would be a relief, turned out to be worse than ever--the twelve or so laps around the school she managed to fit in (to the strange looks of her friends and classmates) didn't even take the edge off. They just left her more fired up, more eager to push herself further and faster and see how far she could run without collapsing, and when the bell rang which compelled her to get back inside and sit for her writing exam, it took a physical effort to force herself to abandon the outside track and stumble back inside.

 

"No worries," Clawdeen teased her as Frankie sat down at her desk with a groan. "Only six hours to go!"

 

Writing. Potions. Mad science. Aquatic studies. Study hall--an entire forty-five minute block without even a teacher to distract her, with the words in her textbooks swimming in front of her and her blood demanding that she throw her notes away and charge off into the woods as fast as she could. But she fought through it with sheer force of will (and a few assists from her girlfriend, who caught her and forced her back down the couple of times she tried to get up and leave), and, no matter how tempting it got, she never just jumped up and ran out of the building.

 

When the final bell rang, though, Frankie sprang out of her seat so quickly that it turned over behind her. "So can we go now?" she babbled as she grabbed her books and threw them into her backpack. "Well? How early can we hunt?"

 

Clawdeen was openly struggling not to laugh. "Moonrise," she repeated as she took Frankie's hand and squeezed. The familiar touch of her girlfriend drained just a little of Frankie's tension, and she was able to focus enough on Clawdeen to understand her response. "Let's head to my place. We can wait it out there."

 

Normally Frankie loved visiting her ghoulfriend's house, if only because Clawdeen was there and their study sessions had a nice habit of turning into movie marathons, kisses, and the most amazing massages. But this time Frankie was virtually bouncing off the walls within five minutes. Clawdeen strictly forbade going out to run--she pointed out that it would just make things worse if Frankie tired herself out before the moon actually rose, since then she'd be dying to go hunting but wouldn't be able to do so--so instead she paced endless circles in Clawdeen's room while the other girl surfed the web, did her nails, and talked for half an hour on the phone without saying anything besides 'uh huh' and 'yep.'

 

"How do you do it?" cried Frankie with more than an hour to go. "I feel like I'm going crazy!"

 

"Lots of practice." Clawdeen waved a hand. "Seriously, I'm going whack too--but I'm used to it. After a few dozen hunts you learn how to shut the tension off." 

 

Frankie thought, briefly, that Draculaura didn't seem used to it--or at least was still distressed by it--and she was 1,600 years old, so apparently there was more to it than just time. She was so tense, though, that it was impossible to keep the thought in her head for more than a few seconds. Fortunately, Clawdeen didn't seem to notice. "If you make this a regular thing, maybe I could teach you," the werewolf continued, leaning back in her chair. "You wanna go hunting with me every month?"

 

Despite her tension, Frankie felt a blush spreading over her cheeks. "If this one goes well... yeah, sure. Sounds voltacious."

 

Clawdeen grinned at that and returned to her computer, and Frankie was once again left to pace around the room and let each agonizing second of daylight slip away. 

 

Finally, after what felt like years, the daylight began to dim. Clawdeen herself began to twitch at that point, soon giving up on the game she was playing and going through a series of calisthenics which Frankie was all-too glad to join in. The daylight kept fading until only a little was left, then just a few sunrays, and now Frankie could see the tension wracking Clawdeen's face too as she forced herself through faster and faster exercises. As for Frankie, she was about two minutes away from breaking down the window and sprinting off into the woods, whether the Wolfs followed her or not. "Clawdeen," she managed. "How much longer--"

 

Then her body bent back, and completely involuntarily, she screamed a massive howl. Dimly, she was aware of Clawdeen doing the same--and Clawd, Howleen, and the other werewolves from elsewhere in the house. 

 

And then Clawdeen dropped to all fours, looked at Frankie with an almost feral grin, and said, " _Now_." 

 

She raced for the window, slammed it open with one motion, and then jumped down to the lawn. Frankie had barely enough time to see the other Wolves piling out from the windows and the back door before the moon overwhelmed her and she felt herself jumping too. As she hit the ground and chased after Clawdeen--as she caught up to Clawdeen, on the night of the full moon no less--she knew she was faster, stronger, more powerful, _better_ than normal. But the knowledge was distant, unimportant. The urge to hunt was all there was.

 

The woods flashed past her so quickly she couldn't consciously pick out any details, but her body reacted and she felt her feet lifting up to dodge tree roots and her head dropping low to duck branches. There were sounds and smells all around her--each amazingly clear despite their unfamiliarity--and she could sense Clawdeen just ahead of her, Clawdeen's siblings to her sides, and other animals deeper into the woods. She wasn't used to any of it, of course, as she hadn't gone hunting before. But she knew on some instinctual level that she _had_ to keep pace with them, no matter what, and it felt so good to run at full speed and catch up. "Clawdeen!" she called. "What's ahead of us?"

 

Clawdeen glanced back. Her eyes were red and her teeth seemed longer than usual, and Frankie thought her ghoulfriend had never looked more beautiful. " _Prey_ ," growled Clawdeen. "Try to keep up!"

 

The werewolf sped up, and Frankie did likewise, sparks shooting out of her bolts at every step as she pushed her body further and further. Now they were very close to the prey animals and her mouth was starting to water even as her ears twitched to pick out the individual critters around her. To her side she saw Howleen and Clawd shoot off to the left, pursuing some animal or other, but she kept following Clawdeen as the trees raced past them. Frankie screamed in delight as she vaulted a wide stream and then smashed through a fallen log on the other side that was in her way, exulting as the wind whipped through her hair and the moonlight shone all around her. Then the forest fell away in front of them to reveal a clearing, and in it--

 

A single deer.

 

Frankie didn't know why it was alone, and she didn't care. Were she more lucid she might have wondered if killing it was really necessary, but at the moment she didn't care about that either. Charging towards it, savoring the panicked flicker in its eyes and knowing full well it wouldn't be able to get away, felt _right_ to her like nothing else ever had. She was the monster and this deer was her prey. Nothing else mattered.

 

The deer tried to run, but it had barely made it to the edge of the clearing before the monsters were on it. Frankie struck and slammed a hand into the back of its neck just as Clawdeen ripped into its chest, crushing its heart. Either blow would have been lethal on its own, and Frankie suddenly found herself overshooting the falling animal--and howling again, uncontrollably roaring her delight and glee that she'd hunted and triumphed, that she'd demonstrated her physical superiority to the animal behind her. "YESSS!" she screamed at the moon. "YES!"

 

Clawdeen suddenly grabbed her and wrapped her in a huge hug. Normally that would have surprised Frankie, as Clawdeen tended to be more deliberate in her affections, but now Frankie just went with it and whooped as Clawdeen spun her around. "Wasn't that awesome?!" Clawdeen yelled. "Wasn't that totally fangtacular?"

 

"Yes!" repeated Frankie. "So awesome!"

 

"And here's the best part!" Clawdeen put Frankie down and leapt back to the deer's carcass. "Hungry?"

 

And suddenly, Frankie was hungry like she'd never been hungry before. Still she hesitated--the animal wasn't even skinned--but Clawdeen extended an unusually-long nail and expertly pealed the skin and fur off of a large chunk of the deer's back. "Dig in," she said, eyes gleaming. "Before I eat it all."

 

Frankie would have said something else, but her stomach was roaring at her and she instead found herself dropping to her knees. She bit into the deer and almost collapsed from sheer joy; it tasted amazing, better than anything else she'd ever had. The meat was so fresh it was almost still alive, and every bite seemed to flow directly back into her blood, like it was charging her up for another run. Her eyes sparkled with delight as she began to gorge herself on the sweet, savory, vaguely smoky deer meat. "Oh," she said after a few minutes of chewing. "Clawdeen?"

 

"Yeah?" Clawdeen looked up. Her own mouth was bloody, as were most of her clothes, but she didn't seem to care about the bloodstains in the slightest. Her eyes were brighter and more excited than Frankie had ever seen them. "What is it?"

 

"I have a new favorite," said Frankie, taking another big bite. "And this is my _favorite_ favorite, of all of them." She groaned happily as she swallowed. "So good..."

 

"Told you it was worth it," said Clawdeen, and then both girls fell silent because there was so much more deer to enjoy.

 

When they'd eaten more than Frankie would have guessed was possible, she collapsed against a nearby tree, perfectly content and feeling like the nervous tension that had wracked her all day was finally gone. Moments later Clawdeen lay down next to her, and then with a single motion she wrapped her arms around Frankie and cuddled up against her. "So," she murmured. "Was I right? Did you not understand this before?"

 

"Not at all. But I think I do now." Frankie sighed languidly. The moonlight didn't feel like it was energizing her anymore; now it felt like it was a gentle blanket of light that would surround her, tuck her in, and carry her into a truly deep, relaxing sleep. "I'll talk to Draculaura, make her happy. No worries."

 

Clawdeen kissed Frankie's head. "That's my ghoul," she said. "You're the best, Frankie."

 

Frankie smiled, and as she drifted off to sleep, she felt completely and perfectly content.

 

#

 

Morning classes were canceled on the day immediately following a full moon, which was fortunate because it took a couple hours for the Wolves and Frankie--no longer powered by the full moon--to slog their way out of the woods. Frankie didn't mind, though. She'd have walked ten times as far and still thought it was more than worth it.

 

"I'll have to change first," she mused as she looked at her own clothes. She'd worn them to the hunt because they were lightweight and easy to move in, but she'd underestimated how bloody they could get. She'd probably need new ones. "Then talk to DL. I'll tell her that I know how impossible it is to fight that and..."

 

She trailed off as the previous day's thought hit her again. Draculaura was 1,600 years old. If she hunted once every two months at a minimum, as Clawdeen had said, that was still almost ten thousand hunts. _Surely_ she'd realized that it wasn't her fault or her weakness that she hunted, but instead a part of her which she could no more resist than humans like Jackson could resist breathing. But if she'd realized that it wasn't her fault, then she'd have little reason to be sad about that. So why was she crying?

 

And why hadn't she told anyone except Clawdeen? Even if Frankie couldn't really have understood, surely just explaining what she was feeling was--

 

Frankie jumped as she figured it out. Clawdeen gave her an odd look, but Frankie just smiled. "Don't worry about it," she said. "I just figured out what to say to Draculaura. I'll call you when I've cheered her up, okay?"

 

"Might be a little harder than just a quick chat," said Clawdeen, brushing a few specs of blood off her arms. Her clothes weren't bloody at all; Frankie guessed she'd known to bring blood-resistant clothing. She'd have to do that next time. "She's pretty down," Clawdeen continued. "You sure you don't need anything?"

 

Frankie opened her mouth to refuse her, then paused. "Actually... if you could get a few of the other students together, I have an idea that might help..."


	3. Ghoul's Night Out

When Frankie stepped into Draculaura's bedroom, she wasn't surprised to see the other girl slumped on her bed. "Hey," Frankie said as she gingerly sat by one of her best freaky friends. "You alright?"

 

"I guess." Draculaura sighed and pushed herself up. "Is it time for classes yet?"

 

"We've got some time. But if you want to stay home, I can tell them you're not feeling well." Frankie scootched next to Draculaura and tucked the smaller girl against her. "After all, you _aren't_ feeling well, right?"

 

Draculaura nodded a little, but then hesitated. "I smell blood. Are you okay?"

 

"Yes, I'm fine. I just went hunting with Clawdeen last night." Draculaura flinched at that, and Frankie smiled gently before continuing. "Ghoulia made me a potion of... I guess we're calling it werewolf juice. Even though that sounds kind of gross." She stuck out her tongue, and Draculaura grinned too. "Not sure that'd be a popular drink."

 

"Probably not. Although it could be worse. What about a snack called ghoul toenails?" Draculaura giggled, and Frankie did too, though she stopped when Draculaura's laughter faded away. "...anyways," the vampire continued. "What did the drink do?"

 

"It let the full moon affect me just like it would a real werewolf. I was so amped up all day--like I couldn't wait to get hunting. And then at night... wow. Total rush." Frankie grinned. "Never felt anything like it."

 

Draculaura hesitated, and when she spoke again, it was in a small voice. "Yes, it's a... a little overwhelming." She paused. "You weren't worried that you wouldn't like it?"

 

Frankie shrugged. "It didn't matter. I had to do it."

 

"Why?"

 

"So I could understand what you were going through." Draculaura froze, and Frankie gently tilted her head up so they could look each other in the eyes. "Draculaura, you were really sad at the campout. I had to find out why so I could try to help you. But I couldn't just tell you that you should get over it without knowing what you were feeling--that'd be so insensitive. I had to know."

 

Draculaura blinked, but Frankie could see the tears forming in her eyes. "Frankie..."

 

"And yes," Frankie continued when she was sure Draculaura wasn't going to say anything. "I did enjoy it. It was awesome. But even if it wasn't, it'd be worth it so I could understand why you were upset--"

 

Draculaura flung her arms around Frankie, who hugged her back, and for a long moment the two just sat there, embracing each other in silence. 

 

After what felt like a short time but which Frankie knew was much longer, Draculaura finally pushed herself back up. "So," she said. "Do you think you... understand, now? Why I've been sad?"

 

"Yes." Frankie paused. "But... Draculaura, I don't think it's because of the hunt itself." She stood. "Now that I've felt it, I know--it's irresistible. Nobody could fight the urge I felt last night. If it's even close to the same in vampires as in werewolves, you can't fight it either. And besides..." She paused, trying to find the words. "Predators eat prey--they teach us that in class. We wouldn't blame a wolf for eating a bunny rabbit, even if it's a really cute bunny. That's just its nature. And it's the nature of some monsters, like werewolves--and vampires--to hunt too. Maybe it's hard for monsters who don't hunt to understand, but anyone who's felt what it's like to need to hunt _knows_ it's true. They know how right it feels to hunt down a prey animal, because it _is_ right. It's what some monsters do. And even if it takes a little while to come to terms for it..."

 

She met Draculaura's eyes again. "You've had 1,600 years to get used to the idea. You know it's not wrong to hunt humans if your nature calls you to it, anymore than it would be wrong for a wolf to eat a bunny."

 

Draculaura was silent for a long moment, and when she spoke again, it was in a soft, clear voice. "Then why do you think I'm sad?"

 

"Because, like I said, it's really hard for monsters who _don't_ hunt to understand. You were worried that if we found out you hunted humans--and that you didn't mind it, that you accepted that part of yourself--we'd be frightened or grossed out or angry. Even monsters like Clawdeen who hunt but can get away with hunting deer and birds and creatures like that; you were worried they wouldn't understand if your nature compels you to hunt humans. But..." she sat back down and embraced Draculaura again. "We're your friends, Draculaura. We accept you for who you are. And we're not going to hold your hunting against you anymore than Venus McFlytrap--a total vegan--would hold Clawdeen's hunting against her. It's part of you." 

 

Draculaura gave Frankie a look that was half-hopeful, half-wary. "Really?" she managed. "You... you know that I hunt humans? That I kill them? And you're not going to call me a monster, say I'm setting back monster-human relations, say I should be killed--"

 

"No!" insisted Frankie. "Draculaura, I know you. I'm your BFFF, remember? I know you would never hurt anyone unless you could help it--but if you can't help it, it's no worse than a wolf or a shark eating some prey animal. I really believe that. And so will Clawdeen, Lagoona, Cleo, Ghoulia, and everyone else."

 

Draculaura meet Frankie's eyes for a few seconds. "It's just--I've had friends before who were freaked out, who left, who tried to fight me--"

 

"Then they didn't make the effort to understand, and they weren't real friends. We are," said Frankie. "Draculaura, I _promise_ you. You don't need to worry that your friends here will abandon you if they find out you don't hate that part of you that needs to hunt humans every month or two. You don't need to hide your true nature around us. That's what friendship is all abou--oof!" Draculaura had thrown her arms around Frankie again. "About," she finished. "Really."

 

Draculaura was crying again--but it was in relief this time, Frankie realized, and she smiled as she stood and helped the vampire to her feet. "It's been so long," said Draculaura. "Since I met someone that understood. I... my last friends that I told, I tried to explain that I didn't hunt any more than I had to, and I only hunted bad people--you know, killers, thieves, people like that. But they still didn't care."

 

"We do," said Frankie. "And speaking of which--you're hunting tonight, right?" The vampire nodded. "Well, how would you like some company?"

 

The vampire blinked. "Company? I usually hunt alone. I mean, if someone saw..." 

 

"...they won't be freaked out," Frankie insisted. "They'll understand. In fact, a few of them might want to join in and support you. I did a little research before I came here, and it turns out you're not the only one that hunts humans now and then." She grinned and took Draculaura's hand. "Are you in for a ghoul's night out in the human town?"

 

The vampire brightened, and when she stepped in for her third hug, Frankie could feel the joy radiating off of her.

 

#

 

The abandoned factory on the outskirts of the human city near Monster High was a monster's dream location. The outer walls were solid, but the interior was a crumbling mass of shadows, rusting machinery, collapsing catwalks, and broken windows that let in just enough intermittent beams of moonlight to see by. Recently, though, its exterior had been retrofitted, with the windows now blocked off by thick steel mesh and new masonry concealing the holes in the outer portion of the structure. And there were new sounds from inside the structure as well, muted yells and screams that monsters outside the factory could just barely hear but other humans could not.

 

Draculaura stood with Frankie on the lonely road leading up to the factory. A single streetlight illuminated them; the others had mysteriously been broken just prior to their arrival. "I can smell them," said Draculaura, her voice quavering slightly with eagerness. "The people inside. There's a lot of them."

 

"Well, there's a lot of us," said Frankie in a prim tone. "It wouldn't be nice if we got them all and you didn't get any, right?"

 

"No. That would be very mean." Draculaura sniffed, but her bright smile made it clear she wasn't actually mad. "So who else is coming? Clawdeen, right?"

 

"Yo." Clawdeen stepped out of the darkness beyond the lamppost. "Course I'm not gonna let my bestie go hunting in that big scary building all alone." She grinned. "Besides, when I heard about _who_ we're hunting, there was no way I'd be able to stay behind."

 

Draculaura turned to Frankie, who held up a cell phone to explain. "Ghoulia got on the net and found the worst people in town. A couple gangsters who got acquitted when their friends threatened the jurors, a finance guy who stole his clients' money, that guy's bodyguards who beat up some clients that tried to sue him, a few people who talked on social media about how they got drunk and beat up a homeless person... people like that." She beamed. "Everyone in there deserves what they're going to get!"

 

The vampire's smiling was blinding, even in the dim light. "How did you--" she began, but then more footsteps sounded behind them and the monsters turned to see more newcomers. "Rochelle! Venus! Lagoona!" Draculaura managed when she recognized them. "You're here too?"

 

"Of course." Rochelle nodded and drew a longsword from a scabbard on her back. "And I wanted to personally assure you, Draculaura that--so long as you only target the guilty and the evil--I have no objection to your actions. On the contrary, I frequently engage in such acts myself. The guilty _must_ be punished to protect the innocent, after all." 

 

Draculaura blinked. "You engage... wait, is that why it is so hard to find criminals in this town?" She grinned, and though she was trying to look angry she completely failed. "Well, you're making it very hard for a vampire to feed! Soon there won't be any bad people left at all!"

 

"I may have eliminated the bulk of them." Rochelle inclined her head. "The town's crime rate is far below its neighbors. I know the presence of a monster school nearby has resulted in some... incidents occurring within the town. I like to think of this as a way to help make up for the trouble we cause."

 

"And as for more hunting, Ghoulia can handle that," said the second newcomer. Venus waved a hand airily, as if this was barely a problem at all. "She's the smartest ghoul around, remember. And she's already started to set up darknet accounts to draw in criminals to 'hire' them, or just convince them there's some big score in town. Every full moon we'll be able to reel in a new batch. Which is perfect... humans make the _best_ mulch."

 

"Hmm." Draculaura's attempts to look stern dissolved into a fit of giggles. "Then I approve."

 

"So do I," said the third newcomer. Lagoona Blue stretched her arms and smiled breezily. "Sea monsters don't _need_ to hunt, but when some bloke dumps a load of toxic sludge over the Great Scarrier Reef... well, we've no objection to it either.And if we can reel 'em in, that's all the better." Her eyes gleamed. "Just like fishing, really. Except these guys deserve it a lot more than fish do."

 

Draculaura looked at her friends, and Frankie could see the glee in her eyes. "You ghouls..." she murmured. "You're the... the best friends I could ever have..."

 

"Well, don't forget me," said one final voice from within the darkness. Frankie smiled as Cleo stepped under the spotlight. "I contributed the most important part."

 

"You got all the people together?" asked Draculaura.

 

Clawdeen shook her head. "Naw, that was Ghoulia. Used social media messages to get them all out here. You know, told the drunk guys there was a pop-up beer stand, got the finance guy thinking he'd found some kinda digital map to a vault full of cash, things like that."

 

"My servants still kept them there once they arrived," sniffed Cleo. "And besides, that's not the most important part. I added... _style_." She clapped her hands. "I mean, my father received multiple human sacrifices a day when he was pharaoh. I know how it's done. Even if now we're only sacrificing petty criminals and not people who, for some unfathomable reason, fail to worship us enough."

 

"I'm sure you'll manage, Cleo," drawled Clawdeen.

 

The girls chatted for a few more moments before Draculaura rose a hand. "So, um, not to be rude but... can we start?" She was literally wiggling in place, like she was having to fight the urge to just run into the building and start hunting--which, Frankie knew, she probably was. "I really really want to start!"

 

"Of course," said Cleo, spinning on her heel. "Shall we, ghouls?"

 

As they walked up to the factory, Frankie took a small flask out of her pocket and drank it. Cleo had assured her that she'd found a way to simulate the full moon inside the building, so Frankie had asked Ghoulia to make her another portion of the werewolf juice. It wouldn't do to sit this hunt out, after all; that would risk Draculaura feeling singled out. Rather, Frankie and the others had to participate alongside Draculaura to show they accepted what she did and would even do it themselves. That was what a friend would do.

 

Besides. It was right that monsters hunt humans. It was proper that criminals die. And it was _fun_.

 

Cleo's servants let the seven ghouls into the building, and Frankie grinned as she looked over the interior. The entire building had been redesigned with stylish obstacles such as dog-headed statues, columns, and even sarcophagi, just to make the hunt a little more challenging. The walls had also been painted in a gold and brown motif, vaguely Egyptian in nature, and with frequentpictures of big imposing monsters that seemed to emphasize how little humans were before them. The ceiling, newly patched, had been painted to look like the night sky... a red-tinted one which perfectly fit the mood of the event. There was even a moon-like disco ball which Frankie knew from experience would trigger moon-like effects in werewolves; Frankie could already feel it drawing at her, and she found herself wishing they could start already--but no, it was Draculaura's night, they had to let her begin. "Nice decorating!" chirped Frankie as the servants shut the door behind the ghouls and they entered the factory floor. "Thanks, Cleo!"

 

"Well." Cleo's voice was smug as usual, but Frankie didn't mind--she'd earned it. "Some of us _do_ have a sense for these things."

 

Just over twenty people were huddled against the back wall, guarded by a dozen servants. Frankie whispered their names and crimes to the others just in case they'd want particular ones; Lagoona, for instance, made a soft noise when Frankie mentioned that the two guys in the back were notorious whalers, and Clawdeen grimaced upon hearing that one of them was a schoolteacher who had beaten misbehaving students of about Howleen's age and used political connections to avoid getting fired. Some begged and pleaded, but Frankie ignored the prey as she turned to Draculaura. "Whenever you're ready?"

 

Draculaura grinned. Her fangs were brilliantly sharp, and her accent sounded unusually pronounced when she spoke next. "I'm ready now."

 

"Then..." Cleo gestured at the humans. The servants rushed away, and after a startled moment, the humans began running too. "So are we."

 

The vampire jumped up in the air. "BEGIN!" she cried, and then they were off.

 

Ghouls yelled and rushed forwards, some moving with supernatural speed, others more slowly but just as surely as they advanced. Frankie herself was dimly conscious of the factory blurring around her but pushed that out of her mind as she gave chase to her first target, one of the financier's bodyguards. He was really fast--she guessed that being athletic was a big part of his job--but she was a monster amped up by the moon. He couldn't escape her.

 

The man ducked into a passage formed by a series of obstacles, but Frankie could hear him, even smell him, and she raced after him. She reached the other end of the passage just in time to see Rochelle fly down and decapitate one of the others--a hitman, Frankie remembered--and then glanced up in time to see the schoolteacher scamper to a catwalk and then scream as Clawdeen jumped him. The werewolf began to savage his body, but Frankie's attention was already back on her own target, and as he made progress towards the nearest window she sped up with a gleeful roar.

 

Frankie passed by more combat as she ran, including Lagoona biting into one of the whalers with her massive teeth and Venus using her pheromones to compel one of the drunken bruisers to swallow a seed which, Frankie knew, would quickly poison him and dissolve him into fertilizer for her plants. Then she saw Cleo lounging in a throne-like chair while her servants hoisted struggling gangsters onto some kind of sacrificial alter. It figured, she thought, that Cleo's participation would be along the lines of 'having her servants do it.' But that was just how the girl was, and there was no point in complaining--not when her prey was so close.

 

And then she had him. Frankie's prey stumbled over an exposed pipe and Frankie launched herself through the air, driving herself with her undead strength and tackling him so hard she was surprised when her target survived the impact with the ground. The man babbled something as she got up and hauled him to his feet, but as she reached for his neck she saw motion in the corner of her eye, and she turned--

 

To see Draculaura with the financier and his other bodyguard. Both men were trembling, but Draculaura's eyes were bright red and when she spoke it was in a voice of absolute control. "Stop," she ordered. "Kneel and present your necks." Both men swayed as they did so, and she smiled as she went over to them. They were quaking in fear, but she didn't even seem to notice as she knelt and rubbed one finger over the financier's neck. "Now..."

 

But then her confidence seemed to slip, and Frankie saw her eyes flick around the room. And she was scared, Frankie knew. Scared that even if her friends _said_ they were fine with her nature, that they would react with disgust if they saw her do it. That they would abandon her like her other friends who hadn't understood her nature.

 

"Draculaura," called Frankie. "Over here." The vampire looked at her--

 

And Frankie turned back to her prey, the man who had committed horrible crimes, and punched his chest with a blow no human could survive.

 

The man sagged. Frankie's blood sang again, triumphant at another successful hunt. She turned back to Draculaura with sparkling eyes. "Well?" she teased. "Do you want yours or not?"

 

Draculaura smiled--except that was understating it. She grinned, and when she looked at Frankie, Frankie could see the relief in her eyes. That she was with monster friends who, at long last, accepted her for who she was. Who wouldn't abandon her with fear or disgust or loathing. Who knew who she was, and loved who she was, and would do so forever.

 

She turned back to the financier and sank her fangs into her neck, gulping down blood even as the man trembled and collapsed. "So good..." she whispered when she was done. "Now you. Come here." The trembling bodyguard helplessly crawled towards her as she looked up. "Frankie, I'll be a while--"

 

"No worries. I think there's still a few left for me to deal with." Frankie grinned as angry French echoed through the factory, followed by another slashing sound. "If Rochelle hasn't personally hunted them all down yet. See you later--and happy hunting!"

 

She turned, sniffed, and grinned as her moon-enhanced nose locked in on another gangster who had actually made it up two catwalks. Then, blood singing with the zeal for the hunt, she jumped halfway up the first ladder and took off after him.

 

#

 

The next day was the weekend, and Frankie again spent it in Clawdeen's house, but this time things were a lot more relaxed.

 

"Oh yeah," growled Clawdeen as Frankie's hands scampered over her back and shot the occasional spark of electricity into tense muscles. "Yeah, right that. Girl, you could charge for this."

 

Frankie grinned. "You really think so?"

 

"Best I've ever had, and trust me, I know massage." Clawdeen sighed as the hands ran over her back again. "Could do this all day."

 

"Is that why you love me?" teased Frankie. "Because I give a good massage?"

 

"Hey. I love you for at least two or three other reasons." Clawdeen chuckled, as did Frankie. "No, really, I love you for everything. But especially because you care 'bout everyone and you're an awesome friend. Like that stuff with Draculaura these past couple days."

 

Frankie shrugged. "Oh, anyone would have--"

 

"Anyone might have tried, if they'd known what to do, but you're the one who figured it out. I mean, even I didn't know _why_ she was upset, and I'm one of the other hunters in the class." Clawdeen sighed again as Frankie's hands hit a particularly sensitive point. "You tried Ghoulia's untested werewolf goop just to figure out how she felt. And then you paid enough attention to figure out that she wasn't upset about hunting, but 'bout how she thought we'd react. And after _that_ you worked out how to fi things and cheer her up again." The werewolf stretched languidly. " You put a lot of work into making her feel better. _That's_ why I love you."

 

"And I love you too." Frankie sat next to Clawdeen and kissed the werewolf on the forehead. The werewolf tried to get up, but Frankie's hands ran over her back again and the werewolf collapsed bonelessly onto the bed. Frankie giggled. "Having trouble?"

 

"No. I'll be up any minute now." Clawdeen tried, and failed, to get up again, earning more laughter. "Okay, I just _don't want to_ get up. I'm not stuck."

 

Frankie burst into laughter for several seconds. As it faded, though, she remembered something. "Oh! Almost forgot to tell you: there's a bunch of mafia guys coming to town on the next full moon for what they think is a big contract--Ghoulia managed to hack one of their main servers."

 

"Lotta work," mused Clawdeen. "Ghoulia's really into this, huh?"

 

"When Cleo had her servants get rid of the bodies, she saved the brains for Ghoulia. Guess she doesn't get fresh brains very often and wants more." Frankie grinned. "Anyways, the rest of us are going hunting, and we'll probably get a few more people from the class too. You up for it? Could even bring your family."

 

"Howleen might be a little young for mafia goons," murmured Clawdeen. "But Clawd, he'd love to go. Bet that'd make Draculaura happy too. Hunting together's real romantic. So I hear, anyways."

 

"Yeah?" Frankie lay back so she was looking into the eyes of the werewolf. "Wanna try it? Just you, me... a flask of that werewolf juice for me... and some prey to split between us?"

 

The werewolf smiled and Frankie smiled back, and even as she returned to guiding her hands through their massage of Clawdeen, she was already thinking about how much fun she--and her ghoulfriend Clawdeen, and the newly-happy Draculaura, and all the others--would have next full moon.


End file.
